Posts from Beverage

Q: What's the best way to store alcohol? I made it a New Year's resolution to get better at making cocktails so I've been buying more booze. I don't use it that often (maybe once a month). I know some people store it in the freezer, but I don't know if that's the best way to do it.

When my big kids were little, smoothies were the healthy dessert that could sway them to eat their dinner. Full of fruit and unsweetened yogurt, they are a delicious treat that counts as dessert even though it's healthy.

Now that my eldest is concerned with improving his own nutrition and building muscle, smoothies serve as a nutritional supplement in his 3000-calorie day. Yikes!

How did I end up with half a dozen astronaut high-ball glasses and a 20-ounce container of Tang powder? It's a long story that starts last December at my daughter's school fundraiser where we auctioned off dinner for six at my house. Bidding far exceeded expectations, and the winner ended up being a friend who bought the dinner for her partner's birthday.

Here's the kicker: The winners requested a dinner based on the White House state dinner given by Richard Nixon in honor of the Apollo 11 astronauts. They sent me the original menu.

A traditional mimosa is an ounce or two (depending who is pouring!) of fresh-squeezed orange juice topped with chilly Brut Champagne. Today, we're replacing those navel oranges with the brilliantly-hued juice from blood oranges. This makes a striking and delicious pitcher drink to serve at brunch this coming weekend. And, as we know, nothing makes brunch better than a fabulous cocktail.

I love Champagne, yet I'm often hesitant to pop open a bottle at home since it has a shorter shelf life than other wines. The longer it stays open, the fizz that makes this drink so magical starts to fade and eventually goes flat.

But maybe that can be remedied. I recently read that a single raisin could have the power to revive a near-flat bottle of Champagne. It sounded almost too good to be, so I put this tip to the test to find out!

Green smoothies get a lot of attention for "detox" or "cleanse" purposes, but I offer this recipe simply because it's delicious. Packed with immune-boosting ingredients — like spinach, pear, and ginger — it's bright and invigorating, yet not teeth-chatteringly cold. In other words: an excellent smoothie for winter.

Bone broth! Have you heard of it? It's made by simmering meaty bones with a handful of aromatic vegetables for hours — even days! — until you end up with a rich, nutritious, and deeply savory broth. It's the kind of thing that's perfect for sipping from a mug on a cold day, or for dressing up and turning into a hearty soup for dinner.

You might also know bone broth by another name: beef stock. Yup, that's right! Bone broth has become quite the trendy beverage recently (thanks, Paleo friends!), but at its heart, bone broth is the same thing that home cooks and chefs have kept simmering on back burners for centuries. Want to try making it yourself? Let's do it!

Another day, another snowstorm. A winter storm is about to envelop the East Coast, and you are probably planning to skip work tomorrow and avoid the wintry mix of unplowed roads and slushy sidewalks. Our strategy: stay in, stay warm, and mix up a cocktail instead of hitting the bar. But of course, if we're all staying indoors we can't be running out for some esoteric cocktail ingredient.

No matter what kind of liquor you have in your cupboards — gin, rye, bourbon, or another staple — we think we have a drink that can liven up your evening indoors. Here are 15 extra-simple cocktails, ingredients listed so you can see at a glance which one suits your snowed in liquor cabinet the best.

This is the perfect cocktail (or mocktail) to serve with your Thai feast. The flavors are light and delicate, and they perfectly evoke lazy summer evenings, even when it's cold and dreary outside.

This drink is a riff on the classic mojito, but made with very traditional Thai ingredients. I love how the combination of aromatic Thai basil, lime, and lemongrass syrup make for a refreshing, clean drink. Try this drink on its own, or with our Thai menu, and I guarantee you will be (at least mentally) transported to warm, sunny beaches.